Heather wrote: I’ve followed your blog for about a year now and have really enjoyed reading of your real food explorations. We have four children, ages 12, 10 and 1 year old twins, so the food issue is very important to me. I have begun to make changes to our diets and have a question about the books you have recommended. Is there any order that you would recommend them, such as a starting point for incorporating changes? I’ve recently checked out Nourishing Traditions from our local library and have to admit to being a bit overwhelmed. While I agree with most of what is written (or at least what I’ve read so far), I honestly can’t see making all of the changes listed in the book. I am all for baby steps and being realistic about the process. I guess I am just curious if there is an order you would recommend reading the books in.
My reply went something like this: I would recommend Real Food by Nina Planck first and foremost. Anything by Michael Pollan is fairly easy to read.
While I respect Nourishing Traditions and the benefits that can be gained from eating that way, I don’t think it’s for everyone, and I’m not even sure it’s for me. I would hate for anyone to feel discouraged because they can’t do everything I’m doing, and I refuse to feel discouraged because I can’t do everything that someone else is doing. I agree with you about taking baby steps and being realistic.
So far, I’m trying to cut way down out the industrially processed foods that I bring into the house (and that’s not to say that I don’t buy any; I just try to buy the ones with a short list of ingredients that I can pronounce) and make as much as I can with whole foods. I buy local and fresh when I can. Beyond that, I’m taking it a day at a time.
I’m looking forward to taking Wardeh’s eCourse (see this post for more info) and learning about some of the processes that are described in Nourishing Traditions, but I don’t know if I’ll be implementing them all on a regular basis. I’d like to get in the habit of soaking my grains, but when you start talking about making kefir and pickling stuff, well, that’s still a little ways down the road for me. 
Lizz recently recommend Sue Gregg’s cookbooks, and from a quick perusal of her website, they look very promising.
There are probably other books that I don’t know about that are good too. If you have any suggestions for Heather, please chime in in the comments.
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I have made several of Sue Gregg’s recipes, and they have all been simple to make and tasty. They have been awarded my kids’ stamp of approval, as well.
I totally agree with you on the book order.
JL – What about the old “More-with-Less Cookbook”? It’s kind of hippie leftover, but it does seem to focus on whole grain things and getting back to natural eating. Just an idea. Are you familiar with this cookbook?
No, I’ve never heard of it. I’ll have to check that out. I’m kind of in a recipe rut and could use some fresh ideas.
I need to order Real Food so I can read it again with a highlighter handy!
I’d also recommend Animal, Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s an easy and fun read that definitely inspired me to make some changes!
I think I’m with you…I bought Nourishing Traditions, but after glancing through it once or twice, I still feel very overwhelmed by it, and I’ve yet to try any of the recipes. I’m still working on the basics of not buying (as much) processed junk and making more stuff at home. I tackled your whole wheat sandwich bread recipe this week, and LOVED it!
Maybe some day I’ll be soaking my grains and making kefir, but for now I’m just taking baby steps.
I would second the Michael Pollan suggestion. His book In Defense of Food is what really started me thinking about what I was putting into my family’s bodies.